The full story...

Racing days over but Black Caviar's story not finished

ELEANOR HALL: Her racing career may be over, but Black Caviar is now generating perhaps even more international interest. The stellar mare's connections are trying to decide which sires to match her with, and observers say she has the potential to create a dynasty of thoroughbreds - as Lexi Metherell reports.

LEXI METHERELL : Since Black Caviar's injury in the nail-biting Royal Ascot race last year, the mare's connections have been giving serious thought to what's next for the star sprinter. The decision was made after Saturday's race at Randwick - the 25th win would be the last.

NEIL WERRETT: I'd just like to thank the Australian public for supporting us and supporting Black Caviar and supporting Moody Racing over the last few years, while Black Caviar has performed a wonderful career - and today we wanted to announce that she's retiring. So, I'm going to hand over to Pete. (Laughs)

LEXI METHERELL : But the Black Caviar story does not end there.

ROB BURNET: By her deeds she has created a potentially international dynasty.

The editor of the website ThoroughbredNEWS, Rob Burnet, says they'll be putting some thought into selecting from the elite sires here and around the world.

ROB BURNET: They will want to have a stallion at the right level. So therefore the stallion will be no doubt a proven stallion with credentials of producing proven horses. Usually they will be looking for a fit with the stallion to produce a certain type of horse. She's a sprinting horse. I doubt that she would go to a sustain-type stallion. She will probably go to a horse that can produce both sprinting, and maybe a classic 1,600 type horse.

The great sires of the world they come down here every season, and return for the Northern Hemisphere season. So in essence, outside of Frankel, the other great sires of the world - either they are already here or they will travel to her.

LEXI METHERELL: There's been frenzied speculation over a romance between Black Caviar and the British super-horse Frankel, but it's unlikely that stallion will travel. And owner Neil Werrett has played down the chances of that pairing.

REPORTER: Neil, will Frankel be her first romance?

NEIL WERRETT: (Laughs) Now that we're retiring in Australia, it's very doubtful that Frankel will be her romance, no.

LEXI METHERELL : Rob Burnet says it's likely Black Caviar will breen in one of the prime horse studs of the New South Wales Hunter Valley.

ROB BURNET: But she may spend her time elsewhere, depending on where the connections wish to place her.

LEXI METHERELL: And how many foals normally would a race horse like this be expected to bear?

ROB BURNET: That varies. We're dealing with stock and nature, and anything can happen in terms of mating. The mare may miss a season, she may decide that she wants to just simply be a... walk around a paddock for a while without actually taking. But one would expect perhaps five-plus foals, and it could easily be many more than that.

LEXI METHERELL: In thoroughbred breeding, would her eggs be allowed to be used to be inseminated in surrogates?

ROB BURNET: No, no. In thoroughbred breeding it is simply a totally natural process. There is no artificial insemination in any way whatsoever.

LEXI METHERELL: Just over a week ago Black Caviar's half-brother sold for $5 million. Could Black Caviar's foals surpass that?

ROB BURNET: Anything is possible. I would suspect that the connections will keep the fillies from the mare - which they will then race themselves so that they have an ongoing pleasure from doing that - and they will sell the colts on a commercial basis. If a colt is produced and then is put up for sale, I would think there would be intense international interest, as indeed there was for this particular colt.

LEXI METHERELL : Black Caviar will take to Caulfield one last time this weekend for a parade to give her besotted audience a chance to say goodbye.